Content Production – shooting great exteriors June 23, 2015

Every content production is different and brings its own set of unique challenges. Different requirements require different tools for the job: you wouldn’t use the same equipment for a Formula 1 video and a series of interviews. Every production must be handled in a way that reflects what you’re going to capture and must have a suitable dynamic.

The crew will be assembled for the content production shoot by your production company based on what your brief requires. The production company should have a core unit of directors, editors and producers, with remaining crew handpicked to suit your project.

Content Production – our approach

We were recently asked to produce a video to showcase a large industrial complex. Industrial estates aren’t very impressive even on the best of days, but the footage we needed had to capture the dynamic nature of the site. We had to be able to shoot in different parts of the estate but convey how each part was unique in just a few seconds, and we also had one day to shoot it all.

We approached it by using two camera units to work in different parts of the site at the same time. One dealt with ground shots and used a dolly to add movement to the shots, and the other unit used a 30ft crane to produce some stunning shots of the landscape.

These kinds of shots are essential when filming large areas for content production. Any large sweeping shot taken from the ground just looks boring and flat. We’ve all had the experience of taking a photo of a breathtaking landscape only to find that the photo doesn’t look as good as it did in person. Ground shots tend to give us dull shots that don’t do the actual scene justice. To show the landscape as it truly is we need to lift the camera into the air.

Even elevating the camera by a few feet and moving it up and down in a sweeping arc can be enough to significantly raise the production values of your video. Larger cranes or jibs that can take the camera up to 30 feet or so will make it look even better. The fact is that wide exterior crane and jib shots just look cool and engage customers from the start (which is almost always where crane shots are used).

We were able to plan most of the shots using site maps and with the help of Google Earth and an early start we could plan what to shoot very tightly. Our units worked efficiently in tandem and we delivered the content production project successfully with some fantastic shots. Here’s an example of work we’ve done with cranes.

Video Production London

Video Production London creates high quality digital content marketing for a variety of market leaders and international corporate brands. In our blog we share our expertise, experiences and insights into all aspects of Video Production and Video Marketing.